


Aphrodite's Kiss

by ladyofstardvst



Category: Daredevil (Comics), Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Explicit Language, Getting Back Together, Light Angst, Post-Break Up, Self-Acceptance, Self-Reflection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:09:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24687415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyofstardvst/pseuds/ladyofstardvst
Summary: You turned to face him, both of you cut open and bleeding your hearts all over the floor, voices raw as they slipped and slid in the thickness, the heartache, the fears and confessions that littered the very ground you stood on.He’s cosmic fury; danger: do not cross, the soft breeze trilled in your ear. It followed the path down, down, down your jaw, down your neck as Matt crept closer and trailed his fingers in it’s wake.
Relationships: Matt Murdock/Reader, Matt Murdock/You
Kudos: 17





	Aphrodite's Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> im just constant trash for one (1) vigilante lately, aren't i

It was a warm day in June.

_{thursday, 11:12 am. from: Karen Page_

_Good morning! I thought we could grab lunch at that corner diner_ _we always go to_ _? Haven’t heard from you in a couple of days, just want to check in.}_

The sun was shining with reckless abandon, it spared absolutely no one from it’s merciless rays of ultraviolet fire. There was a shimmer that hovered above the cement if you looked close enough, looked hard enough, or just simply spaced out with your eyes staring into the grayscale void.

_{thursday, 2:47 pm. from: Karen Page_

_Fine. I’m coming over.}_

Your only saving grace was a cool breeze that blew through the wide open windows of your apartment, curtains whipping and snapping during the sudden, aggressive gusts of wind. It almost made you forget the sun was scorching and relentless, this ebb and flow of balance.

It was your excuse _,_ nonetheless _._ Why you hadn’t left your apartment in two days. Or answered your messages. Or acknowledged that your phone existed in any manor, really.

You _had_ finished a book though, cover to cover. A mediocre three star piece of prose that left you feeling worse than you had when you started it, which, in hindsight, was a spectacular accomplishment in and of itself. Maybe you should have given it four stars instead. The book in question had just found a home on your bookshelf when a knock at your front door stopped you mid-reach, heartbeat picking up speed each second faster than the one before.

_For fuck’s sake._

“Because of the _heat_ ,” said Karen Page, shoulder propped against your creaking door frame. Her tone was accusing, expression disbelieving with a twinkle in her eye that _screamed_ she knew just what kind of shit you were full of. The ghost of a smile pulled at the corners of her lips. “ _Right_.”

A sigh escaped from deep within your chest, and you invited her in. Both of you chose to ignore the comfort food of the day spread upon your coffee table mingling with dirty dishes – and, honestly, they weren’t even all _real_ dishes – and most definitely pretended not to notice the take out containers you _haven’t gotten around_ to throwing away.

At least you were _eating_. At least you weren’t watching _Pride & Prejudice _on _repeat_ to cope.

Not yet, anyway.

“It’s known to make people less active than normal, you know.” you replied, voice carrying on the innocent tone you chose to wield. You knew Karen saw through your cover – she was _without a doubt_ using her incessant journalist tactics on you, but you were committed to run just a little while longer.

It was bittersweet, the avoidance. _Easy_.

“And less likely to pick up the phone?”

“That involves activity, you see.”

A laugh escaped her, filled the quiet room with the first real breath of life you’ve seen in days. Her voice was quiet when she spoke. “You could at least let him know you’re okay, if you won’t speak to anyone else.”

It struck you as odd, why you should let Matt Murdock, of all people, know how you were doing – _whatever the hell that meant_ – when the last time you saw him. . .

That was the thing.

Silence filled the air, took refuge in your home, your lungs, stole your breath and all the ones you planned to take. You looked away from her to an open window, watched people live their lives as they passed by your building. Blissful in their ignorance.

“I’m _fine_. He should understand if I need time to myself to – whatever this is I’m allowed to do. Not talk to him. Sort through – things.”

“To _sulk_ , you mean,” Karen corrected. Her eyes had lost their glint of suspect, her features had softened, opened, relaxed.

You huffed a breath. Refused to lie to her.

“He _left me_ , Karen.” you made a vague gesture to the world beyond your windows, your living room, the old t-shirt you lived in when you needed something familiar and kind close to you. “Am I supposed to be doing anything else?”

Broken fragments whispered behind your eyes when you closed them, even just to blink. That night muted in monotones of slate grays, deep navy, midnight black. The cold, damp rain that soaked through your shoes, your clothes, pierced your skin and clung to bone. Thin, icy fingers wrapped around your heart to squeeze, squeeze, _squeeze_ as Matt Murdock – no, _Daredevil –_ stood in front of you, bloody and dripping and wearing fucking _devil horns_ and crimson, armored leather -

She didn’t agree. Didn’t disagree. _He’s not okay either,_ she told you. _Just go see him._

So you did.

\--

It was still stifling hot when the moon rose.

The stars whispered to _be careful, watch your step. He’s broken glass,_ they told you, _all sharp edges and_ _red_ _stained_ _hands._

The change of scenery hadn’t made it much better, the hallways were still stuffy with oppressive, stagnant air. Humidity still peeled away cream-colored paint, bubbled the cheap carpet and made your clothes cling to your skin like the words he whispered to you when-

The chipped wooden door to his apartment opened before your courage slithered back to nurse your wounded pride.

_Be careful,_ the shadows whispered. You stepped over the threshold, bathed almost immediately in soft pastel pink and washed out blues. It was the afterglow of comfort you had begun to associate with your nights in Hell’s Kitchen. Before you were, unceremoniously, left in the rain. It made your chest tighten, your fingers fidget with the fabric of your clothes. You could still feel those ice-cold fingers around your heart. Still felt the rain cling to your skin in desperation.

Matt said your name with care, like he was dancing around a wounded, wild animal that had been cornered into a cage.

You turned to face him, both of you cut open and bleeding your hearts all over the floor, voices raw as they slipped and slid in the thickness, the heartache, the fears and confessions that littered the very ground you stood on.

_He’s cosmic fury; danger: do not cross,_ the soft breeze trilled in your ear. It followed the path down, down, down your jaw, down your neck as Matt crept closer and trailed his fingers in it’s wake.

You shivered, the chills all over your body screamed at you to walk away – this was uncharted territory, and you had no more room for surprises.

Matt Murdock, the brilliant lawyer you had fallen for, was, apparently, _Daredevil_. Had been this whole time. You discovered the hard way. The inconvenient way. The _dangerous_ way. Matt Murdock did not want to ruin you, but that was not his choice to make.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, hands falling away from you. You wondered if he meant it, but everything about him said he was.

“I know,” you answered, voice quiet in the dark. Your fingers trailed their own path along the line of his jaw, his shoulder, held his hand when he, too, shivered under your electric touch.

Neither of you particularly liked where the chips had fallen, crushing both of you under their impossible weight. In that moment, both of you wished for an easier life. A _better_ life. One without constant bloodshed and paranoia and extra precautions for walking down the street. Wished for a future when you didn’t have to memorize contingency plans for if _This_ then _That_.

But that’s all it could be for now. A wish.

A soft cascade of rain began to soak the city beyond the windows, the soft pattering against glowing windowpanes the soundtrack to a night that felt like home, felt like the beginning of something _else_. New. Exciting. Questionable.

You hadn’t forgiven him, but you were not going to be pushed away. He agreed in-between hard won kisses that left your lips swollen and your stomach giddy with butterflies that chased away the fear threatening to nestle in your heart.

The stars whispered to _be careful, watch your step_ just before dawn broke; Matt curled warm around you in the mess of sheets and blankets. _He’s got the devil in him,_ _sinister and tainted and vile._

_Good,_ you whispered back.  _I can take him._


End file.
